White House eyes shared nuclear-waste campuses, scrapping Yucca Mountain as sole repository

The White House is circulating a draft that would let the Department of Energy partner with willing states to host fully integrated nuclear-fuel-cycle campuses for waste storage, recycling, and related activities, effectively ending Yucca Mountain as the nation’s sole repository. The plan calls for legal changes, a revamped waste classification system, and an interim storage option for reprocessing, aiming to spur nuclear growth and attract new business (including data centers), while potentially restarting disposal fees. With about 95,000 metric tons of waste already on hand and more states weighing proposals, DOE expects to announce campus selections later this summer amid ongoing political and legal hurdles.